Light emitting diodes (“LEDs”) are commonly used as light sources in various applications. LEDs are more energy-efficient than traditional light sources, providing much higher energy conversion efficiency than incandescent lamps and fluorescent light, for example. Furthermore, LEDs radiate less heat into illuminated regions and afford a greater breadth of control over brightness, emission color and spectrum than traditional light sources. These characteristics make LEDs an excellent choice for various lighting applications ranging from indoor illumination to street lighting.
Some lighting applications may require asymmetric light distribution patterns. For example, street lighting applications may require luminaires with asymmetrical light distribution patterns that illuminate streets well without throwing too much light in the direction of adjacent residential properties. However, such asymmetric light distribution patterns may be difficult to achieve without expensive secondary optics and complicated luminaire designs. In addition, existing LED-based outdoor luminaires are often composed of multiple, visible, LEDs which can produce discomfort to the eyes (glare) due to their high peak luminance producing pixelated or spotty light sources Accordingly, the need exists for improved luminaire designs that provide controllable light distribution patterns with minimized glare and spottiness, without relying on expensive secondary optics.